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Bench Press vs Dumbbell Bench Press

Strength Standards Comparison

How does your Bench Press compare to your Dumbbell Bench Press? See side-by-side strength standards from Beginner to Elite.

Quick Answer: The average intermediate lifter's Bench Press is approximately 237% of their Dumbbell Bench Press, based on the FitnessVolt Competition Percentile (FVCP) from 2.5M+ verified competition results.

What Is the Ratio Between These Lifts?

The average intermediate lifter's Bench Press is 237% of their Dumbbell Bench Press. This ratio is calculated from intermediate-level standards across all bodyweight categories.

Standards based on the FitnessVolt Competition Percentile (FVCP), calculated from 2.5M+ verified competition results via OpenPowerlifting.

When Should You Use Each Exercise?

Bench Press

  • Primary muscles: Shoulders (Deltoids), Triceps, Chest
  • Equipment: Barbell, Bench
  • Type: Compound
  • Difficulty: Intermediate

Dumbbell Bench Press

  • Primary muscles: Shoulders (Deltoids), Triceps, Chest
  • Equipment: Dumbbells, Bench
  • Type: Compound
  • Difficulty: Intermediate

How Should You Interpret This Comparison?

The ratio between your Bench Press and Dumbbell Bench Press reveals important information about your training balance. A ratio significantly above the average suggests relative strength in your Bench Press, while a lower ratio may indicate it is a relative weakness worth addressing in your programming.

Use these standards to identify imbalances, then target weak points with the Backoff Calculator for accessory volume or the Block Planner for structured periodization.

All standards are based on the FitnessVolt Competition Percentile (FVCP), derived from 2.5M+ verified competition results. Learn more about our methodology.

Bench Press Standards

BW Beg Nov Int Adv Elite
110 53 84 125 173 226
120 63 97 140 191 247
130 73 109 154 208 266
140 83 121 169 224 285
150 93 133 182 240 302
160 102 144 196 255 319
170 112 155 209 270 336
180 121 166 221 284 352
190 130 177 234 298 367
200 139 187 246 312 382
210 148 197 257 325 397
220 156 207 269 338 411
230 165 217 280 350 425
240 173 227 291 362 438
250 181 236 301 374 451
260 190 245 312 386 464
270 197 254 322 397 476
280 205 263 332 408 488
290 213 272 341 419 500
300 220 280 351 429 511
310 228 289 360 439 523
90 19 40 71 111 157
100 23 46 79 121 169
110 27 52 87 130 180
120 32 58 94 139 190
130 36 63 101 148 200
140 40 69 108 156 209
150 43 74 114 163 218
160 47 79 120 170 227
170 51 83 126 177 235
180 55 88 132 184 242
190 58 93 137 191 250
200 62 97 143 197 257
210 65 101 148 203 264
220 68 105 153 209 270
230 72 109 157 214 277
240 75 113 162 220 283
250 78 117 167 225 289
260 81 121 171 230 295

Dumbbell Bench Press Standards

BW Beg Nov Int Adv Elite
110 18 34 57 85 118
120 21 38 62 92 126
130 24 43 68 99 134
140 28 47 74 106 142
150 31 52 79 112 149
160 34 56 84 118 156
170 37 60 89 124 163
180 40 64 94 130 170
190 44 68 99 135 176
200 47 71 103 141 182
210 50 75 108 146 188
220 53 79 112 151 194
230 55 82 116 156 199
240 58 86 120 161 204
250 61 89 124 165 210
260 64 92 128 170 215
270 66 96 132 174 220
280 69 99 136 178 224
290 72 102 139 182 229
300 74 105 143 186 234
310 77 108 146 190 238
90 6 15 30 50 74
100 7 17 33 54 79
110 8 20 36 58 84
120 10 22 39 62 89
130 11 24 42 66 93
140 13 26 45 69 97
150 14 28 48 72 101
160 16 30 50 75 104
170 17 32 52 78 108
180 18 34 55 81 111
190 20 35 57 84 114
200 21 37 59 86 117
210 22 39 61 89 120
220 23 40 63 91 123
230 25 42 65 94 126
240 26 44 67 96 128
250 27 45 69 98 131
260 28 47 71 101 134

How Does Muscle Targeting Compare?

Bench Press

Primary Muscles Shoulders (Deltoids), Triceps, Chest
Secondary Muscles Triceps
Equipment Barbell, Bench

Dumbbell Bench Press

Primary Muscles Shoulders (Deltoids), Triceps, Chest
Secondary Muscles Triceps
Equipment Dumbbells, Bench

Where Can You View Full Standards?

Bench Press vs Dumbbell Bench Press: How Do They Compare?

The Bench Press and Dumbbell Bench Press are both popular exercises, but they target different muscles and have different strength expectations. This page compares their strength standards side by side so you can see exactly how your lifts stack up.

The tables above show 1RM strength standards by bodyweight for both exercises, from Beginner to Elite. Use the Male/Female toggle to switch between gender-specific data. All standards are based on 2.5M+ verified competition results from powerlifting, weightlifting, and strongman federations worldwide.

Want to check your own levels? Visit the individual exercise pages for Bench Press or Dumbbell Bench Press to use the interactive strength calculator and find your exact percentile.

Frequently Asked Questions

Based on competition data, the average intermediate lifter's Bench Press is approximately 237% of their Dumbbell Bench Press. Ratios vary by bodyweight and training experience.
No. Different exercises involve different muscle groups and leverage advantages. The ratio between lifts varies by anatomy, training history, and movement patterns.
Difficulty depends on your individual strengths and training history. Compare the standards tables above at your bodyweight to see which exercise you are relatively stronger at. The exercise where your 1RM falls into a higher tier is the one you are more advanced in.
If both exercises target muscles you want to develop, incorporating both into your program can provide complementary training stimulus. Check the muscle targeting comparison above to see how they differ.
Increase training frequency for the weaker lift to 2-3x per week, add targeted accessory work, and use RPE-based programming to manage fatigue. Our Block Planner can help structure a program.
Standards are derived from 2.5M+ verified competition results and community-reported training data. They are broken down by bodyweight and gender to give you an accurate comparison. Learn about our methodology.

Standards reviewed by the Fitness Volt Editorial Team, certified strength training analysts.

What Other Exercises Can You Compare?